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New game The Last Disk +


Mq.

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The_Last_Disk_plus_(p1).png

When I was a child, I programmed in Basic on my Atari 65XE. Over time, my work was lost, but a few weeks ago my old friend found one old floppy disk from 1992. It turned out that there are fragments of unfinished game on it. Currently, I decided to put the fragments together and run them.

 

KAZ from atarionline.pl got involved in the development of the game, and he drew all new graphics, because it was previously borrowed from other games.
I rewrote the code in Turbo Basic XL and optimized it to make the game run smoothly. I added the missing pieces, and wrote new music for the game.
I also made two language versions because the game was only in Polish. Now you can also play in English.

 

If you want, here is the link to the article about the game (in Polish).

Here is a short fragment of gameplay from Saberman (thanks for video):

 

The original game from 1992 was called The Last Disk, and the new version from 2019 is called The Last Disk +

 

On the title screen you can press any key for switch between title picture and instructions how to play.

 

I attach a game files. Xex file should work fine for most configs with or without DOS. Atr is mainly for SDrive Max users, because there is some problem with xex loader on SDrive Max.

The Last Disk+.xex

The Last Disk+.atr

Edited by Mq.
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It works on Altirra, I'm absolutely sure, because I programed it all the time on Altirra. It doesn't work on 400/800 I suppose, because it's written for XL/XE series. The game requiers Atari XL/XE, but standard stock RAM 64kB is enough. Final version I attached is tested on Altirra, and on real Atari 65XE and 800XL, runned from SIO2SD, and from SIDE. Game works proper on standard XLOS and QMEG 4.04. I didn't tested other configs.
Maybe you have something wrong setted in Altirra or you have some wrong OSROM. Try to check if you have 64kB, and standard XLOS.

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I briefly tested in emulation, and it appears to play as expected both with original Atari XL/XE ROMs and with AltirraOS replacement ROMs. Otherwise that is a rather common problem that the emulator is preset to AltirraOS which doesn't play nice with some games (e.g. White Circus as we played in the HSC before), and one has to fetch original Atari ROMs elsewhere and configure them.

 

Speaking of HSC, the current round is about testing all the new games coming out so I might incorporate this one into my playing.

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Well its preset to Altirra OS initially purely as it can't come with roms and it gives the user the ability to use out of the box rather than have to hunt roms down straight away, but after that its based on what profile you use and will reload that.

 

To be fair, the Altirra OS is compliant as long as the software in use does not use wrong OS calls in some places so not really an issue with the emulator OS.

 

Just being fair to the glorious Altirra ;)

Edited by Mclaneinc
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Tried all the settings, no luck, but did get a bit further depending which DOS I booted, even so

I now get the music, numeric keys move an arrow across to the appropriate box, although empty

RETURN seem to select it and the arrow goes. However thats it, pressing arrow keys has no effect other

than keyboard click.

Set system to 130XE OS, 128K memory

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First, you don't need any DOS. In Altirra just open xex, and start it in emulator. But program should run from DOS too, I used MyDOS and it works ok. But reading your description, I think that everything is ok and the game works properly, but you didn't understand the game steering.

 

For moving you should press LRUD (for left,right,up,down) or arrow keys, but arrow keys in Atari, not in PC. In Atari Arrow keys are -=+*, so that keys will do the movement.
Eventually in Altirra options somewhere there are settings that let you map cursor keys from PC to Atari.
In standard settings, Altirra has PC arrow keys mapped to a joystick directions, and the game is not for joystick.

 

Next matter is that 1...8 keys are used to use colected items. When You have some item for example on 3rd position, then you press 3 when you want to use item 3. If there is interaction in the room, then it will work, but if there is no any action for the item in present room, then you will only see red arrow under the item, and nothing will happen.

 

And finaly Return key is used to colect item. If you see some item on the screen, and name of found item on the bottom of the screen, then when you press Return you will colect that item.

 

When you use the key which is not used by the game, then you hear only keyboard click and nothing happen.

 

So in short try to play like this:
- move through the maze by keys LRUD
- when you see item then press Return
- when you see place where you can use some item, then press 1...8

 

On real Atari you can use arrow keys for movement, or on emulator you can do it too, but you must map the proper keys in the emulator first.

 

Every move decrease an energy, so be careful for energy strap. On the right side you have a map, which will be drawn when you will explore rooms.

Edited by Mq.
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There are no levels at all. There is a maze in which you must find some items. You are using found items to open some next rooms. Main goal is to find floppy disk, and use it to open last door to go outside, then you finish the game and see congratulations.
In fact you have to find optimal path, which you walk with enough energy, and thats it. If you don't want to explore the maze by yourself, then watch the movie in the first post - there is full walkthrough of the game.

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Well,

 

this game uses compiled TB XL. It requires RAM under the OS and therefore 64k RAM. To load compiled TB XL programs one requires the runtime, normally this is a separate file, e.g. Autorun.SYS or Runtime.COM and a compiled TB XL program named e.g. Autorun.CTB. But here the authors merged everything into one single-fileversion! While TB XL switches off Atari Basic automatically, the Runtime for compiled TB XL does NOT, so you have to hold down the Option key, to switch off Basic. Some programs do require the RAM under Basic to be empty/zeroed or page 0 (zero) to be empty before loading data into it, maybe thats also the case here ?

 

Last not least, there was an update at atarionline.pl a few minutes ago - the fileversion did not work with SDrive-Max (but worked with Sio2SD, Altirra and other hardware and emulators), but the new version does: The Last Disk+ (Sdrive-Max update)

Give that one a try, maybe it works for you ?!?

 

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Yes, the game is written in Turbo Basic XL, and then is compiled.
I decided to merge some files into one file, because I wanted to achieve normal standard xex as a final game.

 

It is not a mystery, that technically in the xex file there are merged runtime2, compiled code, data files with Polish font, texts, graphics and music. There is RAMTOP moved down by 12kB, and all the data excluding music and music player are located above RAMTOP. Because of RAM deficit the music and music player are initially loaded to the graphics memory area, and when everything is already loaded, then music data and player are moved to the DOS area on address 1000(hex), so the DOS is overwritten by game music data and player.

 

About SDrive Max: there is some problem with xex loader of SDrive Max, so the system hangs after loading. Because of that we prepared alternatively atr file which works ok on every systems we tested, including SDrive Max.
Technically there is the same xex file inside atr setted as autostarting DOS 2.5 file.
I attached atr file here.

The Last Disk+.atr

Edited by Mq.
letter mistakes
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10 hours ago, Mq. said:

There are no levels at all. There is a maze in which you must find some items. You are using found items to open some next rooms. Main goal is to find floppy disk, and use it to open last door to go outside, then you finish the game and see congratulations.
In fact you have to find optimal path, which you walk with enough energy, and thats it. If you don't want to explore the maze by yourself, then watch the movie in the first post - there is full walkthrough of the game.

Lol...You maybe should have mentioned to not watch the video if you don't want to spoil the game, I think most of us kind of gathered that the video was one level :)

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LOL x2:-) Actually I didn't watch entire movie first, because the movie is boring for me:-), and I see that screen when I close my eyes because I spent last few weeks programming this:-)
I just gave a link, and watch entire movie some time after I did it. I don't know why Kaz prepared entire walkthrough. Additionally the game walkthrough in the movie is performed with the proper solution without any mistakess:-)
I don't know what to say. LOL, LOL, LOL:-) Try to forget the movie if you watched it in the beginning:-)

Here is a better movie without walkthrough:

 

Edit: I know it's to late, but I ask if there is any possibility to edit first post, so I could change the movie or add warning befor the movie?

Edited by Mq.
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Thank you Albert.

 

I edited the first post, so there is no unnecessary walkthrough in the beginning.

I added atr file in first post too, so everything is now in one place.

 

Here I attach the movie with full walkthrough of the game.

If you want to play by yourself without any tips or ready solution then DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE!

 

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